Alumni Experience Archives

February 11, 2020

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Nate Bander ’09!

MPA Class of 2009 alum Nate Bander is MPA’s admission outreach coordinator and Upper School admission coordinator at Mounds Park Academy. He also coaches boys basketball and the varsity track and field and cross country teams at MPA. After attending MPA K-12 and the University of Minnesota, where he majored in Communications Studies with a Spanish Studies minor, Nate moved to Baza, Spain and worked in an adult language academy as an English teacher.

“The single biggest impact that my MPA experience had on me was inspiring me to learn about the world. MPA is a wonderful, diverse community of parents, students and educators who place a high value on education. I feel prepared to speak about the greater world, travel to faraway places, digest complex theories and thrive as a global citizen. MPA connected me to the broader world.”

But Nate’s MPA moments did not stop as a student and alumni. In fact, he didn’t make one of his fondest memories until coaching in 2019.

Nate recalls, “I first met Yahya Madar (Class of 2019) when he came out for my ninth grade basketball team. That season, I benched him in a game and he almost quit the team.” But, Yahya persevered and in 10th grade, he came back out for the basketball team. He also tried high jumping in track and field for the first time, and something clicked. Read More

Meet Juliana Wu ’19

January 22, 2020

What do you love about MPA?
I love the inclusive environment MPA offers to each and every student that goes there.

How were you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
I started to play cello right after submitting my college application during my senior year. Now, it has become one of my favorite ways to get away from the heavy workload at Carnegie Mellon and a great hobby of my life in general. Thinking back, it is still a bold and somewhat “reckless” decision that I made to begin a new instrument at the end of high school, but without the encouragement of MPA, I wouldn’t have made that decision and I would have missed out on a lot of the fun I have playing cello. Read More

Meet Annie Stewart ’11

January 13, 2020

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Annie Stewart ’11!

After attending MPA from grades 6-12, Annie Stewart ’11 went to St. Olaf College for four years and graduated in 2015 with a B.A. in Theater. She worked at a number of theater companies in St. Paul and Minneapolis before finding her way back to MPA as a substitute teacher and PreK teaching assistant. She worked in MPA’s Lower School for a year before deciding to go back to school to pursue her K-6 teaching license and Masters in Elementary Education! Annie says that it was working at MPA that helped solidify her passion for teaching, and she is so thankful for all of the experiences that led her to where she is today.

“MPA was such an important place and community for many years of my academic career,” said Annie. “Now, as I am completing a license and Masters, I use the tools and skills I learned at MPA on a daily basis. Most importantly, I am excited to teach and that love of teaching comes from the teachers and community I had at MPA. I’m especially looking forward to teaching the next generation of students how to think, not just what to think.” Read More

Meet Cathryn Camacho ’04

December 9, 2019

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Cathryn Camacho ’04!

Following graduation from MPA, Cathryn moved to California to attend Pomona College. She graduated with a B.A. in Economics and worked as an analyst for a litigation consulting firm before switching gears and pursuing a Masters of Interior Architecture from UCLA/Cal Poly Pomona.

“Many of my friends and family joke that I am ‘serial student,’ as I currently pursue my second Masters in a part-time program,” she said. “The joy of learning has never faded. Throughout my collegiate and graduate studies, I sought institutions that mirror MPA’s dedication towards student development.”

In 2015, she returned home to Minnesota to run her family business and enroll in the Carlson School of Management for her Masters of Business Administration. Cathryn now serves as the President of Camacho Contractors and is involved with MPA in a variety of ways. After a tough four years juggling school and work, she is seeking balance, travel, and adventure, as well as growing her engagement with the MPA community and develop new relationships. Read More

Meet Lindsey Metcalf Kenyon ’08

November 8, 2019

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Lindsey Metcalf Kenyon ’08!

Lindsey is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department. Once she found out that she could possibly go somewhere or discover something that no one else has before, she was set on being a geologist and scientist. She followed her “nerdy-ness” and love of the outdoors to Michigan Technological University. There, she was a part of cutting-edge funded undergraduate research projects and later went to the University of Alabama for her Masters, where she engaged in field work in Antarctica, going to those places she had previously dreamed of where no one had been before. While there, she kept in touch with Ms. Reardon-Offerman, who was her math teacher at MPA.

“She really made me realize how proud I should be of what I have already accomplished. Even now her encouragement makes me want to go farther and accomplish more as a woman in STEM,” Lindsey said. Read More

Meet Adi Boeder Risner ’02!

October 24, 2019

What would you tell another family considering MPA?
In addition to the facts provided by the helpful admission team, I think that every prospective family needs to understand the implications of the faculty retention at MPA. Most of my favorite teachers spent the majority of or their entire careers at MPA, and some of them are still teaching today. I’ve observed that for so many faculty members, aligning their passion with MPA values continues to fulfill their vocation as educators, year after year. When I think of all of those students impacted by teachers who are as dedicated to the school as they are to their field, I feel more confident than ever about our decision to continue this tradition for our family.

In what ways has MPA prepared your child for life in the 21st century?
Years ago, my mother shared that a friend of hers, another MPA parent, told her that no matter what your child excels at, the teachers at MPA will find it. As an alum, I absolutely believe this is true, but I’ll add that they don’t stop when the skill is discovered. Proficiencies are recognized, but not praised in a way that prevents students from experimenting with new opportunities. In the 21st century, we are faced with the challenge of preparing our children with a skillset for an unknown future. For my son, I know that he will be continuously exposed to multiple disciplines throughout his entire duration at MPA, and encouraged to make balanced decisions about his interests when he has that freedom. This emphasis on exposure and balance over perfection will prepare him for an evolving future full of choices that don’t yet exist. Read More

Meet MPA Parent Dr. Emily Binstadt ’91!

October 2, 2019

What do you love about MPA?
Almost everything! MPA has an emphasis on inclusion and kindness which defines the community overall. Within that circle, there is a freedom for individuals to explore what drives and inspires them and to develop their own identities and passions. Kids are free to try to do it “all” with a broad sampling of high-quality experiences in arts, academics, and athletics, and/or to delve deeply into a particular interest. I’m amazed by my children’s aspirations and achievements to date at MPA. I’m even more impressed by the confidence they have gained from engaging deeply with material in their academic courses at MPA, and in the organizational, public speaking, empathy, leadership, and teamwork skills they are honing. I am certain they will make a meaningful contribution in whatever area they choose to direct their energy.

How is your child encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
When weighing the financial and personal commitment to enrolling at an independent school like MPA, we worried about our girls being insulated in a school with less socioeconomic diversity than other educational options. And although we continue to be attentive to the impact this reality might have on our girls’ development, we have been astounded by the spontaneous commitment to altruism and advocacy our kids have made at MPA. They are more excited to talk about what’s new in the student-run Social Change Club than in almost any other activity they participate in. We couldn’t have asked for a bigger “win” in this area, which is even more wonderful because this was something we worried about before our kids started at MPA. Read More

Meet Nate Bander ’09

September 30, 2019

Upper School Admission coordinator
Coach
Class of 2009

How many years have you been at MPA?
I’ve been here four years as a member of the admission team and coach. Between 1996 and 2009 I was a student!

What do you love about MPA?
I love athletics at MPA. Our culture has found a way to balance success and participation, skill building and teamwork, competition and collaboration. Athletics were my favorite part of being a student at MPA and have continued to be an integral part of my relationship to the MPA community.

How does MPA nurture students who forever dream big and do right?
MPA is a community of families brought together not by common geography, but by common values. MPA students are surrounded by families who exemplify what it means to be successful high achievers but also global citizens of the world. The abundance of role models in this community makes for well rounded students hungry to emulate the high achievers they surround themselves with.

What would you tell a parent considering MPA?
Mounds Park Academy is an investment in your children. There are families who chose to invest in travel, cabins, and boats, but an MPA family knows prioritizing funds to ensure a strong future for their children is the most important investment. Read More

Meet Brenna Bray ’02!

August 20, 2019

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Brenna Bray ’02!

Brenna was an MPA student from grades 5-12, graduating in 2002 to attend St. Olaf for undergrad. Around 2011, Brenna lived back home in Minnesota after attending the Publishing Institute at Denver University, and was presented the opportunity to coach the MPA cross country running and ski teams. After an amazing coaching experience at MPA for two years, she went on to pursue her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience at the University of South Dakota’s Sanford School of Medicine. However, she stays in touch with many of the Panthers she coached and cheers them on from near and far.

Now once again back in Minnesota, Brenna is looking forward to reconnecting with the MPA community, and wanted to further rekindle that connection. “The Alumni Association Board provided a very fun way for me to do that,” she said.

Brenna also adds that her role on the MPA Alumni Board has provided her with many opportunities to support MPA and get involved with the school and community she loves. As part of the Board, she hopes to continue supporting, fostering, and sharing the MPA community and spirit. Read More

Meet Brendan Boyle ’14!

August 16, 2019

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Brendan Boyle ’14!

Brendan attended MPA from kindergarten through 12th grade. After his lifer journey at MPA, he attended and graduated from NC State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and was deeply involved with several award-winning startups. Though he initially planned to attend medical school, he was offered a unique opportunity to work at Epic Games during the explosive growth of Fortnite. There, he currently works as an information security engineer and is the lead developer for account security tools. And now, as an Alumni Board member, Brendan’s goal is to re-engage alumni who have not previously worked with MPA post-graduation. Read More